Anyone who knows me—and why wouldn’t you know me by now?—knows that I’m one of the best blogger buddies in town.

Why?

Because I care. Like Care Bear care.

Uh huh. Who wouldn’t wuv me to wuv you?

So when I found out that Janice of the oh-so-wonderful blog Janni Styles wrote a book, I just had to let you all know about it.

The book, entitled One Part Good, is a collection of short stories, so I thought I’d do a collection of short interview questions and answers with her.

Sometimes I make so much sense that I scare myself.

But enough about me…

Lorna: Hi Janice, welcome to the most welcoming and comfortable cyber-nook you’ve ever been to. Let’s face it. We’re both highly sensitive people who don’t handle stress very well. We need to chillax, so kick those clogs off and put your feet up. I’m one of those soft-ball type interviewers. Not that I’ve ever been good in any sport, unless you consider ambling a sport. Do you think ambling is a sport?

Janice: Thanks for inviting me to do an interview on your blog, Lorna. It sure is nice and cozy here. I appreciate the relaxed tone you’re setting. Um. Was the ambling as a sport thing your first question? I’m not really sure. And, if you don’t mind, could you call me Janni?

Lorna: Hmm. Don’t freak out, or anything. I just think that maybe I should establish some ground rules, Janni. I ask the questions, being the interviewer and all. That’s just how this interview thingy works.

Janni: (Nodding, wide-eyed and looking a bit worried.) Um…anything else I should know?

Lorna: Nah. That’s it. No biggie. And I got kinda side-tracked on the ambling as sport thing. Consider it a lame rhetorical question to ponder. Let’s both take a deep breath and talk about this great book you wrote.

Janni: Sounds good. (Takes deep breath)

Lorna: (Takes deep breath) Does it smell like wet dog in here? I walked Scrappy in the rain this morning. I thought I dried him off, but…Opps. Side-tracked again! I’m always curious about names and titles. Tell us the story of the title of your book.

Janni: The title of my book came about when I chose one of my story titles that just seemed to fit. Everything in the world tends to be one part good no matter how bad the bad is or how many parts of bad there are in person, place or thing. One Part Good sums it all up for me.

Lorna: Okay. That makes perfect sense. Very philosophical and deep. I was kind of worried that only one part of the book was really good, but that’s kind of a dumb assumption, huh?

Janni: I think my target audience is probably folks who enjoy reading slice of life fiction. This could be men or women but I think this particular collection of stories is more female friendly because of the characterizations in the stories.

Lorna: Did you say “spice of life” or “slice of life” fiction? Because if you said “spice of life” fiction then I’m thinking your audience pool just overflowed into just about every demographic, especially older men looking for some action, if you know what I mean. (Winking at Janni)

Janni: (Laughing nervously) No. I said “slice of life” fiction. Think of snapshots of lives in all of their ordinary peculiarities.

Lorna: Well, when you put it like that, I would imagine lots of people would be interested in your stories. So, in 20 words or less, convince your target audience to read your book.

Janni: What, are you Twitter now? At least they let you use 140 characters or less.

Lorna: Janni, remember. I’m the one asking the clever questions. You get to give the clever answers, deal?

Janni: Okay, sorry. Here goes: “Raw, real and down to earth, these soulful stories ring true to life with characters and times we all know.”

Lorna: Great! See? That wasn’t so hard. You gotta trust me, Girlfriend! Speaking of trust…when I read the stories, I was convinced they were autobiographical. They felt so genuine and, well, true. But you just described them as fiction. I’m feeling a little confused (which is better than my normal state of totally confused). So tell me, where do the stories in the book come from?

Janni: Sorry I confused you, Lorna, but I’m flattered that they felt so genuine. The settings and “bones” of the stories come from life experiences (mine or others I witnessed), but the characters are all fictional with the odd traits of people in the real world.

Lorna: As a writer of fiction for my new novel, I know how important it is to make your fake characters feel real, so you are totally forgiven. I normally would ask who was your favorite character, but it makes more sense to ask you which story is your favorite and why?

Janni: Gee, that’s tough.

Lorna: Thanks.

Janni: (Looking at me like I have mustard on my nose). I think probably “Littlesome” because it runs the gamut of human experiences and settings.

Lorna: Yeah. I remember that one. You packed a lot of life into those words. Then again, the same could be said of all your stories. You’re a natural-born writer. Was writing a book always a goal of yours?

Janni: Writing wasn’t just a goal for me, it was akin to breathing since the age of six.

Lorna: Yeah. I know the feeling. I wrote a book of poems for my mom when I was about six. Wanna hear the poems? (Hitting my head) Never mind. Go on…

Janni: (Smiling indulgently as if to a small child) Earlier this year, I realized I had several stories that might be worth publishing and got the idea to dust them off and put them in a book. It felt great to get it done and out there. But marketing is next to impossible for me due to the stress and how it exacerbates my PTSD. I had to make a choice–try to make money on the book and risk getting sicker or put the book out there for free and hope readers find it. I chose the latter. I could use the money, but my health and connecting on a heart to heart level with my readers who find my book are more important to me.

Lorna: Whoa! Stop the presses. Marketing a book is a lot of work and stressful for healthy people. I admire how you have found a way to realize your dream while working around a very serious condition. In my opinion, writers write for the love of writing and connecting with readers, not for the money. The money is a bonus most of us rarely see. (Getting up and hugging Janni) You know, the whole comic vibe is ruined now, right? (Hitting head) Totally rhetorical. Let’s try this…Tell us a fun fact about the book.

Janni: I told my boyfriend I needed a photo of a field with trees and a barn or the edge of a cottage and we were going to drive to the country to take some photos for my cover. But I awoke the next day to the cover photo posted by a relative. It was a view from their home and it was so perfect, I asked if I could use it. Of course, I did use it with their kind permission. It still blows my mind that I went to bed thinking about this image and woke up to it!

Lorna: I said “fun” Janni, not Paranormal Files “spooky.” Are you psychic like me? (More head hitting). Almost afraid to ask, but tell us a fun fact about you.

Janni: Oh. I am so not fun. Seriously, I can joke around but it’s usually sarcastic. I like to have fun but not too much, I wouldn’t want to upset my own apple cart. Oh. Does falling down an outhouse when you are three years old count as fun?

Lorna: Again with the questions! And yes, it does. As long as you’re on a roll, ask yourself a question you wished I had asked but didn’t, then answer it.

Janni: Are you working on anything else at the moment?

Janni: No, I need a break but when I am able, I want to tackle a Young Adult work which is also a years old dust collecting story I think I can polish well enough to publish.

Lorna: Why am I even here? (Hand hurts from hitting head so much)

Janni: Because you’re a great friend who really knows how to do a fun interview. I had a blast!

This beautiful soul wrote a beautiful book.

You can get a copy of One Part Good on Smashwords by clicking here. It’s also available on Amazon. I know you will savor it just as much as I did.

This is a great interview and I am really pleased to see you giving Janni the help her talent and amazing courage in the face of many difficulties thoroughly deserve. Two brave souls talking to each other. That really is a powerful conversation, which I really enjoyed. Thanks again for making it happen

Aw Shucks. It’s my turn to bow my head and blush. You did a great job of “funnying this up” lol Loving your wit and and wisdom as always. And so appreciate your care bear attitude, we need more care bear types in this dog eat dog world. 🙂 Thank you so kindly for taking time to interview me and share so vividly that even I was convinced we were in the same room together for it! lol Hugs, Lorna and thanks always. You are a true shining star.

Great interview…. although I’m not so enamoured in your biting tongue. .. she should have hit your head once or twice….. you know I’m kidding I love your work…. not sure about the referral to the “older men looking for….”

Silence can be just what the doctor ordered. You know I'm a doctor, right? Cancel reply

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